


Played for Laughs

by lamardeuse



Category: Merlin (BBC) RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-29
Updated: 2010-12-29
Packaged: 2017-10-14 05:08:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/145704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lamardeuse/pseuds/lamardeuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A bit of on-set improvisation turns serious.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Played for Laughs

**Author's Note:**

> Written for hermette.

Bradley means it as a joke.

It's supposed to be something for the blooper reel - the one they _don't_ show the public. Merlin and Arthur are having another heart to heart, but this time they're curled up together in a cave for warmth, huddled under thick blankets. Sometimes he wonders if the writers are reading stories on the Internet, and this is definitely one of those times.

"I trust you," Merlin's saying, "of course I trust you, Arthur. And I trust in your destiny."

"You trust in the king," Arthur murmurs, "but do you trust in the man?"

"Well, the man can be a right prat," Merlin says, smile mischievous, "but I suppose you're a package deal, so -"

And this is the point at which Arthur's supposed to wrestle Merlin into a headlock and the two of them are supposed to dissolve in laughter, but the moment's sufficiently homoerotic and they're close enough for Bradley to feel Colin's breath on his face, so he just closes the last few inches between them and kisses Colin instead.

There's a collective intake of breath around them, and Bradley's going to pull back and grin at the camera, proud of his jape. But then he feels Colin's hand flutter against his chest under the blanket, and then it's fisting in Arthur's tunic to pull him closer and Colin arches up with a small groan and oh, fuck, _fuck_ , what is this?

Everything else disappears, Bradley's world narrowing to Colin's breath and Colin's scent and Colin's - Christ, Colin's tongue tracing the seam of his lips, and the next thing Bradley knows he's got his hands braced on either side of Colin's head as he pushes him back onto the mat they're lying on and kisses the hell out of him.

Jeremy screams "Cut!" and the two of them jerk away from one another as though they've had a bucket of cold water thrown on them. From around him, Bradley can hear what sound like sighs of disappointment, most of them female.

"That's one for the blooper reel, eh?" Colin says, too loudly, and the cast laugh as the pit of Bradley's stomach plummets. God, was this nothing but an act on Colin's part? Was none of that real?

And then he looks down and sees Colin staring at him intently, lips kiss-reddened and cheeks flushed, and he knows it wasn't an act. His stomach does another flip, this time from a combination of anticipation, excitement and sheer terror.

Bradley really loves his job, but right now the end of the workday can't come soon enough for him.


End file.
